Tilting furnace or like structure



- W. R. CLARK.

TILTING FURNACE 0R LIKE STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED mmzo. 1918.

1,353, 0, Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

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24- 3 RM; 8'. W J Jhiorney.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER R. CLARK, 0F BRIDGEPQR-T, CQNNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO BRIDGEPORT BRASS COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CCNNEGTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

TILTINC-r FURNACE OR LIKE STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

Application filed March 20, 1918. Serial No. 223,536.

T 0 all w/imnc't may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER 1t. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing in Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tilting Furnaces or like Structures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion.

This invention relates to furnaces and like structures adapted to be tilted for the pouring off of molten metal, and it has more particular reference to a tilting furnace for melting brass or other metal and pouring the same into molds for the casting of ingots or billets;

The primary object of the invention is to provide improved means for tilting the furnace in pouring the metal into the molds so that this operation can be efficiently and GX-.

peditiously carried out without waste of metal.

It has been recognized heretofore that the tilting of the furnace about an axis sub stantially in horizontal alinement with the pouring spout on the furnace body, is of advantage, because the molten metal has a uniformly smalldistance to travel from the spout to the mold throughout the pouring operation. By this arrangement, the pouring into the molds is made much more curate and expeditious and there is'niuch less waste than is the case where the metal, during at least a part of the operation, has to traverse a long are before reaching the molda drawback incident to the pivoting of the furnace body at or about the center thereof in the ordinary way. More specifically, the object of my invention is to provide an apparatus in which this defectis avoided, but wherein, nevertheless, the construction of the apparatus is more simple and its operation more easy and convenient than in prior devices.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tilting furnace structure embodying my improvements; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus.

In the drawing I have shown my improvements applied to a furnace which may be assumed to be an electric induction furnace for melting brass scrap and casting it into molds, although it will be obvious that the character of the furnace may be radically varied without departure from the principles of the invention and that, in fact, the improvements might be applied to the operation of a ladle or the like. The furnace body 10, which is illustratedasbeing approximately square in has a pouring spout 11 at one side thereof which, in this instance, is located about midway of the height of the mainbasin or hearth 12. The furnace body is pivoted to swing in a verticalplane on a horizontal axis substantially coincident with the discharge portion of the pouring spout 11, and to this end, trunnions 13 and 13 are applied to what may be termed the front wall of the furnace body in horizontal alinement with the spout 11 and on opposite sides thereof, respectively. The trunnions may be fastened to the furnace body by brackets M or other suitable means. In the embodiment shown, the trunnions are rigid with the body and their outer ends are rotatably mounted in supporting frames or standards 15 resting on the ground at the respective sides of plan (Fig. 2),

the furnace and adapted to support the same for a tilting movement. In order to hold the furnace body normally in a substantially upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, and to assist in tilting the same, suitable counterweighting means is provided which, in the embodiment shown, comprises a rope 16 connected at one end to the furnace body and passing over sheaves 17 to a counter weight 18. The lower part of the rope adjacent to the furnace body is arranged to operate in a curved guide member or cleat 19 applied to one of the side faces of the body, one end of the rope being secured to the lower end of the cleat 19 by any preferred means. The arrangement of the parts is such that the counterweight 18 counteracts the effect of gravity on the eccentrically pivoted furnace body, so that said the body 10 by means of bolts 23.

preferably slightly below the main part of the furnace.

Fixed to the shaft 20 at one side of the furnace body and between the latter and one of the frames 21 is a gear 22 meshing with a gear segment 23 fixed to the trunnion 13 between one of the frames 15 .and the corresponding side of the'furnace body. By non-rotatably securing the segment 23 to the trunnlon 13, which trunnion 1s in turn non-rotatably secured to the fun nace body, the segment will be rigidly connected to the furnace body, but if desired the segment 23 may be further secured to The gear se ment 23 is comparatively large and its lowercurved portion is provided with teeth meshing with those of the gear wheel 22, so that by the rotation of the shaft 20, the segment can be shifted to tilt the fur mice on the axis of the tr'unnions. The shaft 20 may be conveniently operated by a hand wheel 2% applied to one end thereof.

Supposing the furnace. to be readyv for pouring and a mold 525 to be placed in position beneaththe pouring spout, as shown in dotted lines, the hand wheel 24 is rotated in a clockwise direction, thereby swinging the furnace body in a vertical plane about the axis of the trunnions l3 and 13 and pouring the metal out of the spout into the mold 25. As the axis of rotation is substantially coincident with the spout, the latter remains at a uniformly small distance from the mouth of the mold throughout the pouring operation. The pouring of the metal is continual by gradually continuing the rotation of the hand. wheel in a clockwise direction, as will be manifest. While the weight of the furnace is considerable, this pouring operation can be conducted manually without any great expenditure of energy on the part of the attendant, owmg 'tothe cons1 derable radius of the gear segment 23 as compared to the radius of the gear 22, and

weight 18 is lowered and when the pouring has been finished, the hand wheel is turned in the opposite direction to lower the furance body to its initial position. This operation takes place smoothly owing-to the fact that the counterweight is raised simultaneonsly with the lowering of the furnace, the pull of such counterweight being applied to the furnace body in a proper manner, by appropriately forming or curving the upper end of the guide 19 outwardly away from the trunnion to insure easy working without shocks or jars.

It will be understood from the foregoing description, therefore, that by my invention I combine the advantage of pouring from the furnace or other structure by tilting it about an axis coincident with the spout,

with theadditional advantages of simple construction and rapid and convenient operation in raising and lowering the furnace for pouring into the molds.

Various changes may be made in the details of tie apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claim. a

What I claim is:

In a tilting furnace or like structure, a body having a pouring spout formed upon one side thereof between the ends of the name, trunnions upon said body upon the opposite sides of said spout and in substan tial alinement therewith, side frames in nhich said trunnions are journaled, means for tilting said body about its trunnions in- OlilQllIlg a gear segment operably secured to said body, and counterweighting means for said body, comprising a curved guide secured to said body, and a weighted flexible member operatively engagingthe outward curved face of said guide, said. guide operating to force said flexible member away from the pivotal mounting for said body as the latter is moved from its tilted position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on the 16th day, of March, 1918. l/VALTER R. CLARK. 

